Proton e.MAS EV Brand Unveiled – First Model Launching in Dec 2024

Following some rumours and a nationwide naming competition, national automaker Proton has finally revealed the name of its new EV brand, which will be known as Proton e.MAS.

Set to be used by its upcoming EV models, e.MAS is pronounced as the alphabet “e” combined with the word “mas”. The acronym stands for Electrifying Malaysia, marrying the ‘e’ symbol to denote EVs together with the MAS abbreviation that is universally used for Malaysia. To go with the new brand, Proton e.MAS EVs will use a new logo, which is essentially a 2D rendition of Proton’s current tiger’s head emblem.

The first EV model (left) under Proton e.MAS brand will be based on the Geely Galaxy E5 (right)

More importantly, Proton is slated to launch its first EV model under the Proton e.MAS brand by the end of the year. As suggested by the teaser image published prior, Proton’s first EV will likely be based on the Geely Galaxy E5 EV. This compact EV crossover was already touted as the base for Proton’s first EV, given that the model was developed by Geely for both left- (LHD) and right-hand drive (RHD) markets.

Proton CEO Dr. Li Chunrong

“The e.MAS brand and its products are an extension of Proton’s three core values of innovative technology, reliability, and international. This is the next step in the evolution of the company, and in the coming months, there will be additional announcements to build brand recognition and product advocacy in the run-up to the launch of the first Proton e.MAS EV in December this year,” said Proton CEO Dr. Li Chunrong during the brand unveiling event yesterday.

This sentiment was also shared by Proton deputy CEO Roslan Abdullah, where the exec said that Proton won’t be adopting any existing LHD models by Geely. Instead, this new EV model will be jointly developed for both the LHD and RHD markets, with Proton also directly involved in its development.

More details on the Geely Galaxy E5, this compact EV SUV underpins Geely’s proprietary Global Intelligent New Energy Architecture (GEA), which is essentially an upgraded version of the marque’s Sustainable Experience Architecture (SEA) used on many Geely-owned EV models like the smart #1 and Zeekr X. Besides battery electric vehicles (BEVs), the GEA platform can also be adopted by other new energy vehicle (NEV) types like range-extender EVs (REEVs), plug-in hybrids (PHEVs), and even methanol-based powertrains.

To go with its new EV brand establishment, Proton has also announced the appointment of the first 17 Proton EV dealers, all of whom formalised their agreements during the brand launch event yesterday. Besides the first 17, Proton aims to establish 30 new EV dealers by 2025.